In this episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast my guests are Gwen Bortner and Stacey Trock.

Gwen and Stacey are both yarn people – Gwen designs knitwear and Stacey designs crocheted stuffed animals. But they are also much more than that. They are teachers, and business owners, and bloggers, too.

On today’s show, the three of us share our top picks for great stuff in media, apps, tools, websites, and other amazing things we’re loving right now that we think you’ll love, too.

I first connected with Gwen when I reviewed her Craftsy class, How to Teach It. Gwen has been teaching since 1986 and is a recognized name at many national venues since 2003. Beginning early in childhood, Gwen has dabbled in all of the various needle arts with knitting finally taking center stage during her college years. Gwen has nearly 30 years of experience as a business consultant, trainer and executive working in a variety of business arenas. Her “super power” is the ability to share new and valuable information in accessible, easy-to-process, bite-size pieces. Gwen can be found on her shared blog at www.2sides2points.com and on her website at www.gwenbortner.com.

Stacey Trock is a frequent guest on the show. Stacey’s business is FreshStitches. She designs crocheted patterns for adorable and huggable stuffed animals. Her patterns are easy to follow and take the mystery out of crochet. She is also a teacher on Craftsy and nationally and is the author of three books. You can find Stacey online at freshstitches.com.

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On this episode Gwen talks about:

Addi Clicks and Kollage Double Points knitting needles

The Scoop Coffee Maker

Dynamic Communicators International events

Hadaki bags – Gwen uses the Cool Tote

Stacey talks about:

Calorie counter app

the Pomodoro technique

Time Management Ninja

Having a weekly calendar

And I talk about:

The Sewing Machine Classroom by Charlene Phillips

Two phrases I love – “If you’re gonna cave, cave,” and, “One more fun thing.”

Swell App

You can listen to the show right here by clicking the arrow below, or subscribe in iTunes for free and listen on the go. I love to listen to podcasts while I’m folding laundry. Interesting audio makes all those mundane tasks in life much more entertaining!

I love what Jodie Carlton said recently about the show:

“Just had a cup of tea & listened to Abby Glassenberg’s latest podcast. Like having friends over in the sewing room while I work. Awesome.”

The While She Naps podcast airs the first and third Monday of each month. I hope you enjoy the show!